1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to data processing and communication systems, and more particularly, to a system and method for filtering network messages, e.g., electronic mail, at a network server via a user-specific unacceptable, e.g., junk sender, list.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, the availability of more efficient, reliable and cost-effective computers and networking tools has allowed many companies and individuals to become involved in an ever-growing electronic community. The immeasurable gains in technology experienced by the computer industry overall have allowed these users to rely on commercially available computers, such as personal computers (“PCs”), to meet their information processing and communication needs. To that end, PC manufacturers may equip PCs with an interface (such as a modem) that may be used for communication over networks, such as the Internet. The Internet is a well-known collection of networks (e.g., public and private voice, data, video and multimedia networks) that cooperate using common protocols to connect computers around the world.
The combination of inexpensive personal computers and easy-to-use graphical software has enabled the Internet to become a major medium for communications. Two extremely popular methods of communicating via the Internet, or any known network, are electronic mail, e.g., e-mail, and instant messaging, also known as IM.
E-mail is a method of sending and receiving electronic messages and files, over a computer network, e.g. the Internet. E-mail consists of a text message normally typed on a computer keyboard in an e-mail software application, for example, an e-mail client such as Microsoft™ Outlook or Lotus™ Notes. Some e-mail software applications support HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) to let users incorporate formatted text and graphics within their e-mail messages. In addition to a text message, e-mail software applications also let users transmit computer files by attaching the file to the e-mail message. The availability of Web-based software is making e-mail even more accessible due to the fact Web-based e-mail is stored on a Web site that can be accessed from any computer with an Internet connection.
Instant messaging (“IM”) enables a user to send messages to another user that immediately appear on that user's computer screen over a network. Instant messaging can work on inter-office LANs (local-area networks) as well as the Internet. Instant messages are different from e-mail messages in that they do not sit unread until the user checks his or her e-mail; they appear on-screen as they are received in real time.
Various software applications with simple to use graphical user interfaces (GUI) have made these methods of communication available to those with little or no computer or programming skills and enable a network user to send a single network message to a large amount of recipients with little effort and at virtually no cost. This ease of use and low cost delivery method has resulted in a large amount of unsolicited messages, e.g., spam, reaching network users' mail inboxes everyday. According to an ECommerce Times® report, published in December 2003, spam costs $20 billion each year in lost productivity. Spam is a growing problem and many experts believe this problem will increase in the years to come. The United States Government has passed some legislation to curb spam, e.g., the Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing (CAN-SPAM) Act, but conceivably, spammers can skirt some requirements or conduct their business from outside the jurisdiction of the United States, leaving only the right technological solution as an answer to this problem.
Industry is aggressively working to solve this problem and have attempted to implement various anti-spamming strategies. For example, spam filtering software has been developed, which searches keywords in the subject line or text of the e-mail to attempt to identify and delete spam. More advanced filtering software attempt to statistically identify spam based on word patterns or word frequency. Once the filter decides that an e-mail is spam, the filter places it in a special folder, the end user is notified by an e-mail that they have received a spam e-mail and the end user is given a chance to release/delete this e-mail. However, the simple filters are easily fooled by simple spelling variations and the advanced filters can be worked around by adding random words to messages and by using short messages with no identifiable pattern. Additionally, the various filters end up blocking messages that the recipient actually wants.
Therefore, a need exists for techniques to allow computer users to establish user-specific lists for blocking unsolicited and undesirable electronic messages.